Porous metal oxide and method of preparing the same

ABSTRACT

Porous metal oxides are provided. The porous metal oxides are prepared by heat treating a coordination polymer. A method of preparing the porous metal oxide is also provided. According to the method, the shape of the particles of the metal oxide can be easily controlled, and the shape and distribution of pores of the porous metal oxide can be adjusted.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2006-0028395 filed on Mar. 29, 2006 in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office, the entire content of which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a porous metal oxide and a method ofpreparing the same, and more particularly, to a porous metal oxidehaving a particle shape that can be easily-controlled and pores havingan adjustable shape and distribution, and a method of preparing thesame.

2. Description of the Related Art

Porous metal oxides are used as electrode materials in the energy field.In general, electrode materials must have good electronic conductivityand good ionic conductivity, while ionic conductivity is typically lowerthan electronic conductivity. However, in porous electrode materials,ions can be delivered to the inside of the particles of the porous metaloxide, thereby reducing the distance that ions travel. Nano-materialsmay have similar effects as porous electrode materials, but have highcontact resistance between the particles of the nano-materials and it isdifficult to manufacture electrodes formed of nano-materials. Therefore,practical application of nano-materials is difficult.

Examples of porous metal oxides used as electrode materials includeMnO₂, LiCoO₂, LiNiO₂, LiCo_(1/3)Ni_(1/3)Mn_(1/3)O₂ which are used ascathode materials for lithium secondary batteries. In electrochemicalcapacitors, RuO₂, NiO, etc. are used as pseudocapacitance materials.Porous metal oxides can also be used as electrode materials for solidoxide fuel cells (nickel oxide or cobalt oxide), molten carbonate fuelcells, borohydride fuel cells, or dye sensitized solar cells (titaniumoxide).

Such porous metal oxides are typically prepared by a sintering method ora template method. Sintering is most frequently used to prepare porousmetal oxides. It is difficult to prepare porous metal oxides in the formof a powder. To form the porous metal oxide in a predetermined shape,pressure molding can be performed.

A template method is frequently used for preparing porous materialshaving mesopores with a diameter of 50 nm or less. However, processingcosts of the template method are high and mass production is difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the present invention, a method of preparing aporous metal oxide is provided in which particles of the porous metaloxide can be easily controlled and the shape and distribution of porescan be adjusted.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a porous metal oxide isprepared by the above-described method.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method ofpreparing a porous metal oxide comprises heat treating a coordinationpolymer. The heat treatment may comprise a first heat treatment processconducted under an inert atmosphere and a second heat treatment processconducted under an oxygen-containing atmosphere. The temperature for thefirst heat treatment process may range from about 300° C. to the meltingpoint of the main metal included in the coordination polymer.

The coordination polymer may be a compound having a unit structurerepresented by Formula 1 below:

M_(x)L_(y)S_(z)  Formula 1

In Formula 1, M is a metal selected from transition metals, Group 13metals, Group 14 metals, Group 15 metals, lanthanides, actinides andcombinations thereof. L is a multi-dentate ligand that simultaneouslyforms ionic or covalent bonds with at least two metal ions. S is amono-dentate ligand that forms an ionic or covalent bond with one metalion. When d is the number of L's functional groups that can bind tometal ions, x, y and z are integers satisfying the equation yd+z≦6x.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a porous metaloxide has a multilateral shape and has pores with an average diameter ofabout 10 nm or greater. In one embodiment, for example, the averagediameter of the pores ranges from about 20 to about 100 nm.

According to one embodiment, the particles of the porous metal oxide maybe needle-shaped or plate-shaped.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and advantages of the present inventionwill become more apparent by reference to the following detaileddescription when considered in conjunction with the attached drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the coordinationpolymer prepared according to Example 1;

FIG. 2 is a SEM image of the carbon-nickel composite prepared accordingto Example 1;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are SEM images of the porous nickel oxide preparedaccording to Example 1;

FIG. 4 is an X-ray diffraction (XRD) graph of the porous nickel oxideprepared according to Example 1;

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the nitrogen adsorption of the porousnickel oxide prepared according to Example 1;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are SEM images of the porous nickel oxide preparedaccording to Example 2;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are SEM images of the porous nickel oxide preparedaccording to Example 3;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are SEM images of the porous nickel oxide preparedaccording to Example 4;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are SEM images of the porous nickel oxide preparedaccording to Example 5;

FIG. 10 is an XRD graph of the porous nickel oxide prepared according toExamples 1 through 5;

FIG. 11 is a graph illustrating the nitrogen adsorption of the porousnickel oxide prepared according to Example 4;

FIGS. 12A and 12B are SEM images of the porous Ni_(0.8)Co_(0.2)Oprepared according to Example 6;

FIGS. 13A and 13B are SEM images of the porous Ni_(0.8)Co_(0.2)O₂prepared according to Example 7;

FIG. 14 is a graph illustrating the charge/discharge properties of thecell prepared according to Example 8; and

FIG. 15 is a graph illustrating capacitance variation when the cellsprepared according to Example 8 and the Comparative Example were chargedand discharged 100 times.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the inventionare shown.

A porous metal oxide according to one embodiment of the presentinvention has a multilateral shape and an average pore diameter of about10 nm or greater. The porous metal oxide can be prepared byheat-treating a coordination polymer. The shape of the oxide, and thesize and shape of the pores of the porous metal oxide can be controlled.Using the coordination polymer is a new approach to the synthesis ofcomposites. The coordination polymer has a repeating unit with a one-,two-, or three-dimensional morphology as compared to a generalcoordination compound which is represented by Formula 2:

Nonlimiting examples of two-dimensional coordination polymers includecompounds represented by Formula 3:

In Formula 3, where M, L and S are as defined below.

In the two-dimensional coordination polymers represented by Formula 3,four ligands (L) having multiple functional groups (“multi-dentateligands”) and two mono-dentate ligands (S) coordinate to a metal (M)atom. The multi-dentate ligands (L) also coordinate to other adjacentmetal (M) atoms. In this embodiment, the metal (M) atoms act ascoordination sites for the ligands in the same manner as in the generalcoordination compound represented by Formula 2. However, the ligands ofthe two-dimensional coordination polymer represented by Formula 3coordinate to multiple metal atoms at the same time. Multi-dentateligands (in which one ligand coordinates to two metals at the same time)form a coordination polymer having a very regular lattice structure.Such a structure can be extended to a three-dimensional structurebecause, unlike in a planar-type coordination polymer, the multi-dentateligands shown in Formula 3 can further coordinate to metal atoms orligands located above or below them to form a three-dimensionalcoordination polymer.

The coordination polymer used to form a carbon-metal composite accordingto one embodiment of the present invention may be a compound representedby Formula 1:

M_(x)L_(y)S_(z)  (1)

In formula 1, M is a metal selected from transition metals, Group 13metals, Group 14 metals, Group 15 metals, lanthanides, actinides andcombinations thereof. L is a multi-dentate ligand that simultaneouslyforms ionic or covalent bonds with at least two metal ions. S is amono-dentate ligand that forms an ionic or covalent bond with one metalion. When d is the number of functional groups of L that can bind to themetal ion x, y and z are integers satisfying the equation yd+z≦6x.

In the coordination polymers represented by Formula 1, the multi-dentateligand L links metal atoms or ions to form a network structure. Thus,the compound of Formula 1 is primarily crystalline. Such a coordinationpolymer may optionally include a mono-dentate ligand S which can bind toa metal atom or ion irrespective of the multi-dentate ligand L.

The structure of the coordination polymer according to this embodimentis different from that of a chelate compound. A chelate compound is ageneral compound in which a multi-dentate ligand binds to a metal ion,and has a different structure from the coordination polymer of thepresent embodiment. That is, in a chelate compound, for example, amulti-dentate ligand such as ethylene diamine coordinates to a metalion, but does not form a network structure as in the coordinationpolymer of the present embodiment. Rather, a single coordinationcompound in which the multi-dentate ligand forms a chelate ring isobtained. In the coordination polymer of the present embodiment,neighboring metals are linked to each other via multi-dentate ligands toform a network structure. In contrast, in the chelate compound,multi-dentate ligands coordinate to only one metal ion at multiplesites, and thus, do not form a network structure.

When a network structure is formed via multi-dentate ligands L, coremetal ions or atoms can form coordination bonds not only withmulti-dentate ligands L, but may also bind to mono-dentate ligands S ifnecessary. The mono-dentate ligands S may be any ligands used in generalcoordination compounds, for example, ligands containing N, O, S, P, As,etc. having lone pair electrons. Nonlimiting examples of suitablemono-dentate ligands include H₂O, SCN⁻, CN⁻, Cl⁻, Br⁻, NH₃ and the like.However, the mono-dentate ligands S can also have multiple functionalgroups. In addition, when a chelate ring is formed, a multi-dentateligand L can be used. That is, although multi-dentate ligands L such asbi-dentate ligands, tri-dentate ligands, tetra-dentate ligands, etc. canbe used, if metal atoms or ions can form a network structure throughmono-dentate ligands S, mono-dentate ligands S can also be used.

A multi-dentate ligand L capable of linking metal ions or atoms to forma network may be any ligand having at least two functional groupscapable of forming covalent or ionic bonds with the core metal to form anetwork structure. In particular, the multi-dentate ligand L of thepresent embodiment is distinguishable from a multi-dentate ligand Lcoordinating to only one metal ion to form a chelate ring (chelateligand) as described above. This is because it is difficult to form acoordination polymer having a network structure with a chelate ligand.

Nonlimiting examples of suitable multi-dentate ligands L includetrimesate-based ligands represented by Formula 4, terephthalate-basedligands represented by Formula 5, 4,4′-bipyridine-based ligandsrepresented by Formula 6, 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate-based ligandsrepresented by Formula 7 and pyrazine-based ligands represented byFormula 8:

In formulae 4 to 8, R₁ through R₂₅ are each independently selected fromhydrogen atoms, halogen atoms, hydroxy groups, substituted C₁₋₂₀ alkylgroups, unsubstituted C₁₋₂₀ alkyl groups, substituted C₁₋₂₀ alkoxygroups, unsubstituted C₁₋₂₀ alkoxy groups, substituted C₂₋₂₀ alkenylgroups, unsubstituted C₂₋₂₀ alkenyl groups, substituted C₆₋₃₀ arylgroups, unsubstituted C₆₋₃₀ aryl groups, substituted C₆₋₃₀ aryloxygroups, unsubstituted C₆₋₃₀ aryloxy groups, substituted C₂₋₃₀ heteroarylgroups, unsubstituted C₂₋₃₀ heteroaryl groups, substituted C₂₋₃₀heteroaryloxy groups, and unsubstituted C₂₋₃₀ heteroaryloxy groups.

The multi-dentate ligands L are described in more detail in ChistophJaniak, Dalton Trans., 2003, p 2781-2804, and Stuart L. James, Chem.Soc. Rev., 2003, 32, 276-288, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

The metal bound to the multi-dentate ligands L to form the coordinationpolymer is not limited as long as it can provide coordination sites forthe multi-dentate ligands L. Nonlimiting examples of suitable metalsinclude transition metals, Group 13 metals, Group 14 metals, Group 15metals, lanthanides, actinides and combinations thereof. For example,Fe, Pt, Co, Cd, Cu, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Ag, Pd, Ru, Mo, Zr, Nb, La, In,Sn, Pb, Bi, etc. can be used.

In Formula 1, x, y and z are integers satisfying the equation yd+z≦6x,where d denotes the number of functional groups of the multi-dentateligand L which can bind to the metal. For example, when L is atetra-dentate ligand and two mono-dentate ligands S coordinate to themetal, the coordination polymer has a basic structure of MLS₂ andsatisfies the equation 1 (y)×4(d)+2(z)=6×1 (x). Since the multi-dentateligand L is essential to form a network, y is at least 1. Also, sincethe mono-dentate ligand S is an optional element, z is at least 0. Itwill be understood by those skilled in the art that x, y and z do notrepresent the specific number of atoms but they indicate ratios ofmetals and ligands in view of the nature of polymers. When a core metalM is Cd and the multi-dentate ligand L is 4,4′-bipyridine, thecoordination polymer of the present embodiment is a compound representedby Formula 9 (where x is 1, and y and z are 2):

In the coordination polymer of Formula 9, 4,4′-bipyridine coordinates toCd, the core metal M. Specifically, a terminal nitrogen atom of4,4′-bipyridine binds to a Cd ion and another terminal nitrogen atom of4,4′-bipyridine binds to another Cd ion. This binding pattern isrepeated to form a network, thereby obtaining a coordination polymerhaving a two-dimensional lattice structure. Such a coordination polymerstructure affects the final shape, for example, periodicity, etc. of acarbon-metal composite obtained by heat-treating the coordinationpolymer. Thus, when the process of forming the coordination polymer isproperly controlled, the shape of the final product can be controlled.The crystalline shape of the coordination polymer can be controlled byproperly modifying the reaction temperature, pH and reaction time forthe metal precursor and ligands to bind to each other. The shape mayalso be controlled by modifying the type of metal, the type of ligandand the concentrations thereof, or by properly controlling the dryingtemperature and drying time to obtain the coordination polymer in acrystalline state.

As described above, a porous metal oxide according to one embodiment ofthe present invention is obtained by heat-treating a coordinationpolymer. The heat treatment may include a first heat treatment processconducted under an inert atmosphere and a second heat treatment processconducted under an oxygen-containing atmosphere. Alternatively, the heattreatment may be performed in a single operation either under an inertatmosphere or under an oxygen-containing atmosphere to prepare theporous metal oxide.

The first and second heat treatment processes are performed as follows.First, a carbon-metal nano-composite is formed during the first heattreatment process under an inert atmosphere. Then carbon is removed andmetal is oxidized during the second heat treatment process under anoxygen-containing atmosphere to form the porous metal oxide.

The first heat treatment process under an inert atmosphere may beperformed at a temperature ranging from about 300° C. to about themelting point of the corresponding metal. In one embodiment, forexample, the first heat treatment process is performed at a temperatureranging from about 500° C. to about the melting point of thecorresponding metal. The period of time that the first heat treatmentprocess is performed is not particularly limited. However, in oneembodiment, the first heat treatment process is performed for a periodof time ranging from about 0.1 to about 10 hours. For example, the firstheat treatment process may be performed for a period of time rangingfrom about 0.5 to about. 3 hours. When the temperature of the first heattreatment process is less than about 300° C., carbonization is notsufficient. When the temperature of the first heat treatment process isgreater than about the melting point of the corresponding metal, thestructure of the nano-composite itself is likely to collapse due to themelting and aggregation of metal particles. When the first heattreatment process is performed for a period of time less than about 0.1hours, the effect of the heat treatment is insufficient. When the firstheat treatment process is performed for a period of time greater thanabout 10 hours, the heat treatment is not economical.

When the coordination polymer is subjected to the first heat treatmentprocess as described above, the volatile and combustible parts aremostly vaporized and removed. Thus, the shape of the carbon-metalcomposite remains unchanged and has a reduced volume after the firstheat treatment process. Since the shape of the coordination polymer ismaintained even after the first heat treatment process, the shape of thefinal product can be easily controlled, as indicated above.

The second heat treatment process conducted under an oxygen-containingatmosphere may be performed at a temperature ranging from about 300 toabout 1500° C. In one embodiment, for example, the second heat treatmentprocess is performed at a temperature ranging from about 300 to about800° C. The period of time that the second heat treatment process isperformed is not particularly limited. However, in one embodiment, thesecond heat treatment process is performed for a period of time rangingfrom about 0.1 to about 24 hours. For example, the second heat treatmentprocess may be performed for a period of time ranging from about 0.5 toabout 5 hours. When the temperature of the second heat treatment processis less than about 300° C., oxidation of carbon is difficult and thus itis difficult to remove carbon from the carbon-metal composite. When thetemperature of the second heat treatment process is greater than about1500° C., sintering is performed at the high temperature and the shapeof the pores collapses.

The carbon-metal composite prepared using the first heat treatmentprocess under an inert atmosphere may have a specified periodicity. Suchperiodicity is due to the repeating unit having a one-, two-, orthree-dimensional morphology, and denotes that the repeated highregularity of the coordination polymer is maintained after heattreatment. Such periodicity can be measured by X-ray diffractionanalysis of the carbon-metal composite obtained after the first heattreatment process, and at least one peak is present at d-spacings of 6nm or greater. Such periodicity affects the properties of the porousmetal oxide prepared from the carbon-metal composite and thus a metaloxide having uniformly arranged pores with an average diameter of about10 nm or greater can be achieved. In one embodiment, pores having anaverage diameter ranging from about 20 to about 100 nm can be achieved.Such a porous metal oxide having pores with an average diameter greaterthan about 10 nm is difficult to obtain using only a structure directingagent.

Since the shape of the particles of the porous metal oxide according tothis embodiment of the present invention can be easily controlled, thefinal particle shape can be easily controlled by appropriate selectionof the coordination polymer or the heat treatment conditions. In oneembodiment, needle-shaped or plate-shaped porous metal oxide particlesare obtained.

In the porous metal oxide according to this embodiment of the presentinvention, the coordination polymer forming the porous metal oxide canbe synthesized mostly in an aqueous state, which is both economical andhighly stable. Furthermore, simple heat treatment processes suggest thatmass production is easy, and no template is required. Also, variousshapes of the desired porous metal oxide can be easily controlledaccording to the desired use by controlling the shape of thecoordination polymer. Moreover, the porous metal oxide is prepared byheat treating the uniform carbon-metal nano-composites in which thecarbon portion and the metal portion are periodically repeated, therebyobtaining an appropriate diameter and distribution of pores and causingions and gas to flow more easily. Consequently, the porous metal oxideprovides excellent high rate performance in electrochemical devices andcan be efficiently used in catalysts, catalyst supports, electrodematerials for secondary batteries, fuel cells, or electric double layercapacitors.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference tothe following examples. However, these examples are provided forillustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of the invention.

EXAMPLE 1

37.33 g of nickel (II) acetate tetrahydrate and 19.96 g of trimesic acidwere added to 500 ml of distilled water and stirred at 55° C. for 2hours. Powders produced in the solution were removed using a nylonfilter, washed with distilled water several times, and then dried in anoven at 80° C. for 12 hours to obtain a crystalline coordinationpolymer. FIG. 1 is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of thecrystalline coordination polymer prepared according to this example.

The obtained crystalline coordination polymer was subjected to heattreatment under an Ar atmosphere at 600° C. for 1 hour to prepare acarbon-nickel composite having the same shape as the untreatedcrystalline coordination polymer and a reduced volume. FIG. 2 is a SEMimage of the obtained carbon-metal composite.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are SEM images of a porous nickel oxide obtained by heattreating the obtained carbon-nickel composite in air at 700° C. for 1hour. FIGS. 3A and 3B show that the oxide powder is porous and that theparticle shape of the oxide powder is maintained. FIG. 4 is an XRD graphof the obtained porous nickel oxide, indicating that a pure NiO materialis formed. The porous nickel oxide was analyzed using a nitrogenadsorption method. The pore diameter distribution was analyzed using aBJH adsorption method and is illustrated in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5,the pore diameters were mainly 20 nm or greater.

EXAMPLES 2 THROUGH 5

Synthesis of the coordination polymer and heat treatment were performedas in Example 1, except that the heat treatment temperature for formingthe carbon-metal composite was adjusted from 700 to 1000° C. as listedin Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 Heat treatment temperature (° C.) First heat Second heat SamplePrecursor treatment (Argon) treatment (Air) Example 2 Nickel(II)trimesate 700 700 Example 3 Nickel(II) trimesate 800 700 Example 4Nickel(II) trimesate 900 700 Example 5 Nickel(II) trimesate 1000 700FIGS. 6A and 6B are SEM images of the porous nickel oxide preparedaccording to Example 2. FIGS. 7A and 7B are SEM images of the porousnickel oxide prepared according to Example 3. FIGS. 8A and 8B are SEMimages of the porous nickel oxide prepared according to Example 4. FIGS.9A and 9B are SEM images of the porous nickel oxide prepared accordingto Example 5.

These results show that the size of the primary particles and thediameters of the pores increase as the temperature increases from a heattreatment temperature of greater than 800° C.

FIG. 10 is an X-ray diffraction (XRD) graph of the porous nickel oxideprepared according to Examples 1 through 5.

FIG. 11 is a graph illustrating the nitrogen adsorption of the porousnickel oxide prepared according to Example 4, and indicates that mostpores have a diameter of 20 nm or greater.

EXAMPLE 6

14.93 g of nickel (II) acetate tetrahydrate, 3.73 g of cobalt (II)acetate tetrahydrate, and 9.98 g of trimesic acid were added to 500 mlof distilled water and stirred at 55° C. for 2 hours. Powders producedin the solution were removed using a nylon filter, washed with distilledwater several times, and then dried in an oven at 80° C. for 12 hours toobtain a needle-shaped coordination polymer crystal.

The obtained crystalline coordination polymer was subjected to a heattreatment process under an Ar atmosphere at 900° C. for 1 hour toprepare a carbon-(nickel, cobalt) composite, and then subjected to aheat treatment process at 700° C. for 1 hour to prepare a porousNi_(0.8)Co_(0.2)O material. FIGS. 12A and 12B are SEM images of theprepared porous Ni_(0.8)Co_(0.2)O material.

EXAMPLE 7

14.93 g of nickel (II) acetate tetrahydrate, 3.73 g of cobalt (II)acetate tetrahydrate, and 9.98 g of trimesic acid were added to 500 mlof distilled water and stirred at 55° C. for 2 hours. Powders producedin the solution were removed using a nylon filter, washed with distilledwater several times, and then dried in an oven at 80° C. for 12 hours toobtain a crystalline coordination polymer.

The obtained crystalline coordination polymer was subjected to a heattreatment process under an Ar atmosphere at 900° C. for 1 hour toprepare a carbon-(nickel, cobalt) composite. LiOH was mixed with theprepared carbon-(nickel, cobalt) composite such that the atom ratio ofthe transition metal and lithium was 1:1 and the mixture was subjectedto a heat treatment process at 700° C. for 12 hours. FIGS. 13A and 13Bare SEM images of the prepared porous LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.2)O₂ material. Theresults show that although primary particles were grown during theformation of LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.2)O₂ by reaction with Li, the needle shapeof the particles and some of the pores were maintained.

EXAMPLE 8 Manufacture of Electrochemical Capacitor

93 weight % of the porous nickel oxide prepared according to Example 2,4 weight % of a conductive carbon material, and 3 weight % of PVDF weredispersed in N-methylpyrrolidone to prepare a slurry. The slurry wascoated on aluminum foil to a thickness of 100 um and dried.

A test cell was manufactured by forming a plurality of electrodes fromthe dried product. Each electrode had a circular shape with a diameterof 13 mm. Two of these electrodes having the same weight were insertedinto a CR2016 sized coin cell made of stainless steel and werepositioned to overlap and face each other. A separator was placedbetween the electrodes. Then, 0.6M tetraethylammonium tetrafluoro borate(TEATFB) in propylene carbonate (PC) solution was injected into the testcell as an electrolyte. Here, the separator was a Model 3501polyethylene membrane available from Celgard, Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.).

The assembled cell was repeatedly charged and discharged at a current of0.1 mA to a voltage ranging from 0 to 3.0 V. FIG. 14 is a graphillustrating the initial charge/discharge of the manufactured cell,indicating the characteristics of the capacitor.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE

A test cell was manufactured as in Example 8, except that non-porous NiOpowder obtained by subjecting nickel (II) acetate tetrahydrate powder toa heat treatment process at 700° C. for 1 hour in air was used insteadof the porous NiO powder obtained in Example 2.

FIG. 15 is a graph illustrating capacitance variation of the cellsprepared in Example 8 and the Comparative Example after charging anddischarging 100 times. As shown in FIG. 15, the initial performance andcycle life of the cell prepared according to Example 8 (including aporous nickel oxide according to an embodiment of the present invention)was better than that of the Comparative Example (in which a nonporousnickel oxide was used as an electrode).

The porous metal oxides according to the present invention are obtainedby heat-treating a coordination polymer and can be mass-produced. Theshape of the produced porous metal oxides can be easily controlled, andthe shape and distribution of the pores of the porous metal oxides canbe adjusted to be uniform. Thus, ions or gases can easily flow. Thus,the porous metal oxides of the present invention have excellenthigh-rate characteristics, and can be used as catalysts, catalystsupports, electrode materials for secondary batteries, fuel cells, orelectric double layer capacitors.

While certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed and illustrated, those of ordinary skill in the art willunderstand that various modifications and changes to the describedembodiments can be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention as defined by the following claims.

1. A method of preparing a porous metal oxide, comprising heat treatinga coordination polymer.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the heattreating comprises: a first heat treatment process conducted under aninert atmosphere; and a second heat treatment process conducted under anoxygen-containing atmosphere.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein thefirst heat treatment process is conducted at a temperature ranging fromabout 300° C. to about a melting point of a metal included in thecoordination polymer.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second heattreatment process is conducted at a temperature ranging from about 300to about 1500° C.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the coordinationpolymer comprises a compound having a unit structure represented byFormula 1:M_(x)L_(y)S_(z)  Formula 1 wherein M is a metal selected from the groupconsisting of transition metals, Group 13 metals, Group 14 metals, Group15 metals, lanthanides, actinides and combinations thereof, L is amulti-dentate ligand capable of forming ionic or covalent bonds with atleast two metal ions, S is a mono-dentate ligand capable of forming anionic or covalent bond with one metal ion, wherein d represents a numberof functional groups of L capable of binding to a metal ion, and whereinx, y and z are integers satisfying Equation 1:yd+z≦6x.  Equation 1
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the coordinationpolymer forms a network by connecting metal ions with the multi-dentateligand.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the multi-dentate ligand isselected from the group consisting of trimesate-based ligandsrepresented by Formula 4, terephthalate-based ligands represented byFormula 5, 4,4′-bipyridine-based ligands represented by Formula 6,2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate-based ligands represented by Formula 7,pyrazine-based ligands represented by Formula 8 and combinationsthereof:

wherein R₁ to R₂₅ are each independently selected from the groupconsisting of hydrogen atoms, halogen atoms, hydroxy groups, substitutedC₁₋₂₀ alkyl groups, unsubstituted C₁₋₂₀ alkyl groups, substituted C₁₋₂₀alkoxy groups, unsubstituted C₁₋₂₀ alkoxy groups, substituted C₂₋₂₀alkenyl groups, unsubstituted C₂₋₂₀ alkenyl groups, substituted C₆₋₃₀aryl groups, unsubstituted C₆₋₃₀ aryl groups, substituted C₆₋₃₀ aryloxygroups, unsubstituted C₆₋₃₀ aryloxy groups, substituted C₂₋₃₀ heteroarylgroups, unsubstituted C₂₋₃₀ heteroaryl groups, substituted C₂₋₃₀heteroaryloxy groups, unsubstituted C₂₋₃₀ heteroaryloxy groups andcombinations thereof.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the metal isselected from the group consisting of Fe, Pt, Co, Cd, Cu, Ti, V, Cr, Mn,Ni, Ag, Pd, Ru, Mo, Zr, Nb, La, In, Sn, Pb, Bi and combinations thereof.9. A porous metal oxide prepared according the method of claim
 1. 10. Aporous metal oxide prepared according to the method of claim
 5. 11. Aporous metal oxide comprising a plurality of pores having an averagediameter of about 10 nm or greater, wherein the porous metal oxide has amultilateral shape.
 12. The porous metal oxide of claim 11, wherein theaverage diameter of the pores ranges from about 20 to about 100 nm. 13.The porous metal oxide of claim 11, wherein particles of the porousmetal oxide have a shape selected from the group consisting of needlesand plates.
 14. The porous metal oxide of claim 11, wherein the porousmetal oxide is obtained by heat-treating a coordination polymer.
 15. Theporous metal oxide of claim 14, wherein the coordination polymercomprises a compound having a unit structure represented by Formula 1:M_(x)L_(y)S_(z)  Formula
 1. wherein M is a metal selected from the groupconsisting of transition metals, Group 13 metals, Group 14 metals, Group15 metals, lanthanides, actinides and combinations thereof, L is amulti-dentate ligand capable of forming ionic or covalent bonds with atleast two metal ions, S is a mono-dentate ligand capable of forming anionic or covalent bond with one metal ion, wherein d represents a numberof functional groups of L capable of binding to a metal ion, and whereinx, y and z are integers satisfying Equation 1:yd+z≦6x.  Equation 1
 16. The porous metal oxide of claim 15, wherein thecoordination polymer forms a network by connecting metal ions with themulti-dentate ligand.
 17. The porous metal oxide of claim 15, whereinthe multi-dentate ligand is selected from the group consisting oftrimesate-based ligands represented by Formula 4, terephthalate-basedligands represented by Formula 5, 4,4′-bipyridine-based ligandsrepresented by Formula 6, 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate-based ligandsrepresented by Formula 7, pyrazine-based ligands represented by Formula8 and combinations thereof:

wherein R₁ to R₂₅ are each independently selected from the groupconsisting of hydrogen atoms, halogen atoms, hydroxy groups, substitutedC₁₋₂₀ alkyl groups, unsubstituted C₁₋₂₀ alkyl groups, substituted C₁₋₂₀alkoxy groups, unsubstituted C₁₋₂₀ alkoxy groups, substituted C₂₋₂₀alkenyl groups, unsubstituted C₂₋₂₀ alkenyl groups, substituted C₆₋₃₀aryl groups, unsubstituted C₆₋₃₀ aryl groups, substituted C₆₋₃₀ aryloxygroups, unsubstituted C₆₋₃₀ aryloxy groups, substituted C₂₋₃₀ heteroarylgroups, unsubstituted C₂₋₃₀ heteroaryl groups, substituted C₂₋₃₀heteroaryloxy groups, unsubstituted C₂₋₃₀ heteroaryloxy groups andcombinations thereof.
 18. The porous metal oxide of claim 15, whereinthe metal is metal selected from the group consisting of Fe, Pt, Co, Cd,Cu, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Ag, Pd, Ru, Mo, Zr, Nb, La, In, Sn, Pb, Bi andcombinations thereof.
 19. An active material for a secondary batterycomprising the porous metal oxide of claim
 11. 20. An active materialfor a secondary battery comprising the porous metal oxide of claim 15.21. A catalyst comprising the porous metal oxide of claim
 11. 22. Acatalyst comprising the porous metal oxide of claim
 15. 23. A supportfor a catalyst comprising the porous metal oxide of claim
 11. 24. Asupport for a catalyst comprising the porous metal oxide of claim 15.